About Eric P. Wilkinson, MD Expertise I am a board-certified otolaryngologist with additional subspecialty training in otology, neurotology, and skull base surgery. This is the subspecialty of otolaryngology that involves the ear, hearing, balance organs, the facial nerve, and surgery of the skull base including surgery for acoustic neuroma and other benign and malignant tumors of the base of the skull.
Experience Medical school, residency in otolaryngology, fellowship in otology/neurotology/skull base surgery
Organizations American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
North American Skull Base Society
American Neurotology Society
Publications Laryngoscope Otology and Neurotology
Education/Credentials MD Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 2001
Otolaryngology Residency, University of Iowa Department of Otolaryngology, Iowa City, IA
Otology/Neurotology Fellowship, House Ear Clinic, Los Angeles, CA
Expert: Eric P. Wilkinson, MD Date: 11/20/2007 Subject: Numbness with hearing loss....
Question Just got back from the ER. I woke up a couple of months ago with right ear feeling of fullness, developing into ringing. Was treated with antibiotics x 2 by PCP, then sent to ENT.
ENT puts me on prednisone 60mg and tells me I have Sudden Idiopathic Sensorineural Hearing Loss and says there is not much he can do for me, but schedules an MRI to see if it is a tumor and says he can refer me to a specialist in Indianapolis. (At this point, no numbness, just incredibly loud ringing in right ear with low freq hearing loss, pressure and some dizziness.)
Today, the right side of my face started becoming numb, with a feeling of a novocaine injection. Called my PCP and he sent me to the ER. The ER sent me for a CT and it was fine, but said he didn't treat these things and referred me back to the ENT.
Help! I feel like someone in the medical community here in South Bend should be able to help!
Answer You may have hydrops, which is a treatable pressure disorder of the inner ear. You need an MRI to rule out a tumor, and an examination by an otologist in Indianapolis. There are several there; if you need a referral I can help.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Hi Mariel: As a followup: you said that you were diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma. Did you see an otologist for an evaluation? If you need a referral I can help. Let me know.
